The Society for Neuroscience’s (SfN’s) Foundations of Rigorous Neuroscience Research (FRN) program aims to inform and empower neuroscientists at all career stages to enhance the rigor and reproducibility of their research. Begin this series with Oswald Steward and Lique Coolen as they cover the genesis of the FRN program, the objectives of the podcast series, and the resources that you can access to enhance rigorous research practices in neuroscience.

More SfN Resources

• Visit the Foundations of Rigorous Neuroscience Research homepage
• Contribute to SfN’s Neuronline Community for FRN
• Anonymously submit your ideas for future resources
• Explore the Neuronline Collection on Promoting Awareness and Knowledge to Enhance Scientific Rigor in Neuroscience

Explore Topics From This Episode

• Nature perspective article: A call for transparent reporting to optimize the predictive value of preclinical research

Pathways to Enhance Rigor: A Collection of Conversations is a part of the Society for Neuroscience’s (SfN’s) Foundations of Rigorous Neuroscience Research (FRN) program. This program is supported by the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), grant number 5R25NS112922-02. The FRN program is designed to inform and empower neuroscientists at all career levels to enhance the rigor in their research and the scientific culture at large.

Continue the conversation on the Neuronline Community, or submit your input for future programming.

Take our listener survey.

Transcript

Speakers

Oswald Steward, PhD

Oswald Steward is founding director of the Reeve-Irvine Research Center for Spinal Cord Injury at the University of California, Irvine. He is Reeve-Irvine Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology and holds additional joint appointments in the departments of neurobiology and behavior and neurosurgery. His research focuses on how neurons create and maintain their connections, how synapses are modified by experience and injury, and the role of genes in neuronal regeneration, growth, and function. He received his PhD in psychobiology/neuroscience from the University of California, Irvine.

Lique Coolen, PhD

Lique Coolen is an associate dean and a professor of biological sciences at Kent State University. Coolen previously served as faculty at the University of Mississippi, University of Cincinnati, University of Western Ontario, and University of Michigan. Coolen earned her PhD from the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands.

When developing a study, there are many sources of biases that can affect experimentation or interpretation of results. Join Christie Fowler, Olavo Amaral, and Kip Ludwig as they discuss the various considerations neuroscientists must face to conduct research while minimizing bias and maximizing objectivity.

More SfN Resources

• Explore the eNeuro editorial series on experimental bias  
• Explore the The Journal of Neuroscience editorial series on experimental design
• Read the eNeuro editorial on Changing the Way We Report, Interpret, and Discuss Our Results to Rebuild Trust in Our Research 
• Learn about JNeurosci’s policy for reporting on experimental design and statistical analysis

Explore Topics From This Episode

• Brazilian Reproducibility Initiative (TIMECODE to be added) 
• PLOS Biology perspective article: Distinguishing between Exploratory and Confirmatory Preclinical Research Will Improve Translation 
• PLOS Biology perspective article: Risk of Bias in Reports of In Vivo Research: A Focus for Improvement 
• eLife: Science Forum: Addressing selective reporting of experiments through predefined exclusion criteria

Pathways to Enhance Rigor: A Collection of Conversations is a part of the Society for Neuroscience’s (SfN’s) Foundations of Rigorous Neuroscience Research (FRN) program. This program is supported by the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), grant number 5R25NS112922-02. The FRN program is designed to inform and empower neuroscientists at all career levels to enhance the rigor in their research and the scientific culture at large.

Continue the conversation on the Neuronline Community, or submit your input for future programming.

Take our listener survey.

Transcript

Speakers

Christie Fowler, PhD

Christie Fowler is an assistant professor in the department of neurobiology and behavior and director of interdepartmental neuroscience program at the University of California, Irvine. Prior to joining the faculty there, Fowler received her PhD from Florida State University with Zuoxin Wang and conducted postdoctoral research with Paul Kenny at The Scripps Research Institute. Her research focuses on elucidating the neurobiological mechanisms underlying tobacco and nicotine dependence. Her laboratory is working to define the signaling mechanisms and brain circuitries involved in mediating the development and maintenance of nicotine dependence, with a focus on identifying novel targets for therapeutic development.

Olavo Amaral, PhD

Olavo Amaral is an associate professor at the Institute of Medical Biochemistry at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Amaral obtained his PhD at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, studying the neurobiology of memory using rodents and neural network models. In recent years, his interests have largely switched to metaresearch on how to improve the reproducibility of published science. He currently coordinates the Brazilian Reproducibility Initiative, a multicenter systematic replication of experiments from Brazilian biomedical science involving more than 60 labs across the country.

Kip Ludwig, PhD

Kip Ludwig leads the Ludwig Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin, specializing in neuromodulation, bioelectronic medicine, and electroceutical devices. The lab’s primary focus is to develop minimally invasive, next-generation neuromodulation therapies to hack the nervous system, treat circuit dysfunction, and deliver biomolecules precisely to target areas. Ludwig previously served as the program director for Neural Engineering at the NIH. He co-led the Translational Devices Program at the NINDS, led NIH BRAIN Initiative programs to catalyze implantable academic and clinical devices, and led a trans-NIH planning team to develop the S.P.A.R.C. Program - stimulating advances in neuromodulation therapies for organ systems.

Join neuroscientists Letisha Wyatt, Jane Roskams, and Maryann Martone as they delve into the challenges neuroscience has faced regarding data storage, management, and sharing. They discuss the historical transition from analog to digital data, the complexities of neuroscience data, and paths forward to foster more sound data stewardship for the larger scientific community.  

More SfN Resources

• Explore the eNeuro collection of Open-Source Tools and Methods
• Read the eNeuro editorial on Introducing Research Resource Identification Initiative at eNeuro
• Watch the Neuronline webinar on Best Practices in Data Management and Reporting 

Explore Topics From This Episode

• GitHub: Research Project Workshops
• International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF): Training Space
• ReproNim: A Center for Reproducible Neuroimaging Computation 
• SciCrunch: Open Data Commons for Spinal Cord Injury
• TEDxSeattle: Democratizing Science: of the people, for the people, by the people

Pathways to Enhance Rigor: A Collection of Conversations is a part of the Society for Neuroscience’s (SfN’s) Foundations of Rigorous Neuroscience Research (FRN) program. This program is supported by the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), grant number 5R25NS112922-02. The FRN program is designed to inform and empower neuroscientists at all career levels to enhance the rigor in their research and the scientific culture at large.

Continue the conversation on the Neuronline Community, or submit your input for future programming.

Take our listener survey.

Transcript

Speakers

Letisha Wyatt, PhD

Letisha R. Wyatt is an assistant professor of neurology and the director of diversity in research in the research and innovation office of Oregon Health and Science University. Wyatt currently oversees the development and implementation of academic/professional programs for research trainees from underrepresented and underserved backgrounds. She is a former bench neuropharmacologist with a strong record of mentorship in the laboratory and classroom. Wyatt has also served as faculty in the Oregon Health and Science University Library and the Center for Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research (CEDAR), working together with scientists and staff to plan for current and future information and data management needs.

Jane Roskams, PhD

Jane Roskams is a professor in the center for brain health at the University of British Columbia and in the department of neurosurgery at the University of Washington. Roskams was previously the executive director at The BRAIN Commons, chief scientific officer and co-founder at Cascadia Data Federation, and a professor of zoology at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests lie in the development and regeneration of the nervous system. Roskams earned her PhD in neuroscience from the Penn State College of Medicine and completed her postdoctoral training in neuroscience and neuropathology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Maryann Martone, PhD

Maryann Martone is a professor emerita at the University of California, San Diego, where she maintains an active laboratory. She started her career as a neuroanatomist, specializing in light and electron microscopy, but her research for the past 15 years has focused on neuroinformatics. She led the Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF), a national project to establish a uniform resource description framework for neuroscience, as well as the NIDDK Information Network (dknet). She is the current Chair of the Governing Board for the International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility and a founder of SciCrunch, a technology start creating tools to help publish reproducible science.

How can researchers shape modern scientific culture to incentivize more sustainable, rigorous science? Hear from Michael Lehman, Ghazaleh Sadri-Vakili, and Tanita Casci as they cover the critical importance of incentivizing rigorous research today, as well as ways you can advance rigorous research practices at any level in your career to invigorate the field. 

More SfN Resources

• Tune into the latest discussions surrounding diversity in neuroscience
• Learn about the longstanding SfN/NINDS program supporting diversity in neuroscience, the Neuroscience Scholars Program (NSP)
• Read the eNeuro editorial on Acknowledging Those Who Did the Work
• Learn about the SfN journals Reviewer Mentor Program

Explore Topics From this Episode

• Nature world view article: What my retraction taught me
• Nature comment article - Research integrity: Nine ways to move from talk to walk
• Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA): Reimagining academic assessment: stories of innovation and change
• Research Culture Case Study, University of Glasgow:
  • Standard Operating Procedures for Research Integrity (SOPs4RI): Making Collegiality a Core Element of Research Culture
  • eLife: Research Culture: Setting the Right Tone

Pathways to Enhance Rigor: A Collection of Conversations is a part of the Society for Neuroscience’s (SfN’s) Foundations of Rigorous Neuroscience Research (FRN) program. This program is supported by the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), grant number 5R25NS112922-02. The FRN program is designed to inform and empower neuroscientists at all career levels to enhance the rigor in their research and the scientific culture at large.

Continue the conversation on the Neuronline Community, or submit your input for future programming.

Take our listener survey.

Transcript

Speakers

Michael Neal Lehman

Michael Lehman is a professor and the inaugural director of the Brain Health Research Institute (BHRI) at Kent State University. As inaugural director of BHRI, Lehman brings together researchers from a wide variety of disciplines to explore, expand and advance knowledge of the human brain and how it functions. He has made seminal contributions to the fields of neuroendocrinology, behavioral neuroscience and circadian rhythms research, and has published over 180 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and reviews. Lehman has also played major leadership roles developing interdisciplinary research, education, and healthcare at academic medical centers in the U.S. and Canada. He completed his post-doctoral fellowship at Colombia University and received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Michigan.

Ghazaleh Sadri-Vakili, PhD

Ghazaleh Sadri-Vakili is an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and, the director of research programs in the department of neurology, and the scientific advisor to the Healey Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital. As the Director of the NeuroEpigenetics laboratory, Sadri-Vakili's efforts are focused on deciphering the molecular mechanisms that underlie neurodegenerative disease. She is the co-founder of the Professional Women’s Nexus (PWN), a group dedicated to the promotion and retention of women in STEM. She is the 2020 recipient of SfN’s Louise Hanson Marshall Special Recognition Award for her contributions to promoting the professional development of women in neuroscience.

Tanita Casci, PhD

Tanita Casci is the head of research policy at the University of Glasgow (UK). Casci works with the PVC Research to deliver the institutional research strategy across all academic disciplines, which includes developing policies and projects that support research staff and students to succeed. She is also the institutional co-lead for research culture and the co-lead of the Lab for Academic Culture. Tanita joined the University in 2012 as the research manager of Glasgow Polyomics, a Wellcome-Trust funded facility for the collection and analysis of high-throughput molecular data in the biomedical sciences. Previously, she worked as an editor in genetics and genomics for the Nature Publishing Group in London, UK. She obtained a PhD in genetics from the University of Cambridge (UK) for work carried out at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology.”

Although there are many hurdles to enhancing rigor in neuroscience, one fact is clear: implementing rigorous research practices today will enhance the credibility of the field tomorrow. Wrap up this series with Emily Sena, Eric Nestler, and Walter Koroshetz as they discuss the rewards to conducting rigorous research, how institutions, journals, and funders can step up to enhance rigor across the field, and ways for individuals to shift the needle in tackling this collective challenge. 

More SfN Resources

• Explore articles that stand out in both methodological merit and significance in the JNeurosci Spotlight
• Check out the recognition of reviewers at eNeuro and JNeurosci
• Explore the Neuronline collection page on Training for Diverse Career Paths
• Tune into the ways you can best advance the scientific community and advocate for science

Explore Topics From This Episode

• NINDS Trans-Agency Activities: Rigor and Transparency champions, resources, and presentations
• The UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN)
• The Einstein Foundation: Award for Promoting Quality in Research
• British Neuroscience Association (BNA): Credibility Prizes

Pathways to Enhance Rigor: A Collection of Conversations is a part of the Society for Neuroscience’s (SfN’s) Foundations of Rigorous Neuroscience Research (FRN) program. This program is supported by the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), grant number 5R25NS112922-02. The FRN program is designed to inform and empower neuroscientists at all career levels to enhance the rigor in their research and the scientific culture at large.

Continue the conversation on the Neuronline Community, or submit your input for future programming.

Take our listener survey.

Transcript

Speakers

Emily Sena

Emily Sena is a Stroke Association Kirby Laing Foundation senior non-clinical lecturer in the Center for Clinical Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Sena completed her undergraduate and postdoctoral degrees in pharmacology and neuroscience at the Universities of Edinburgh, UK and Melbourne, Australia. Her research interests are in the use of meta-research approaches to drive improvements in the validity, transparency, and reproducibility of primary research using laboratory models of human diseases. Her work has informed laboratory practice guidelines, editorial policy, and clinical trials design. Emily is the inaugural editor-in-chief of BMJ Open Science, co-convener of The University of Edinburgh’s Race Equality Network (EREN), and convener of CAMARADES - an international collaboration that supports, advances and undertakes systematic reviews of preclinical research.

Eric Nestler, MD, PhD

Eric J. Nestler is the Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience, director of the Friedman Brain Institute, and dean for academic and scientific affairs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The goal of his lab is to better understand the molecular mechanisms of addiction and depression in animal models. Nestler is past-president of SfN. Nestler completed his MD from Yale University School of Medicine; PhD from Yale University; internship in medicine and psychiatry at Mclean Hospital; and residency in psychiatry, fellowship in pharmacology, and fellowship in psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine.

Walter Koroshetz, MD

Walter Koroshetz is the director of NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Before coming to NIH in 2007 as the NINDS deputy director, he was a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and vice chair of Neurology and director of stroke and neurointensive care services at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). He graduated from Georgetown University, received his medical degree and medical training from the University of Chicago, and trained in internal medicine, neurology, and neurobiology at MGH and HMS. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.